Technical Field
The present disclosure relates generally to a laparoscopic surgical instrument and more particularly to a surgical grasping instrument with an integrated probe.
Background of Related Art
In laparoscopic surgery, surgery is performed through access ports extending into the abdominal cavity. The advantages of laparoscopic and other minimally invasive surgical procedures are well established and include reduced infection, reduced costs and reduced patient recovery time. In many of these procedures, several access ports are required, each dimensioned to receive a surgical instrument, providing a guide for accessing the surgical site. One of the access ports is configured to receive an endoscopic camera for viewing the abdominal cavity and enabling display of the cavity and the manipulation of the instrumentation and tissue within the body cavity on a video monitor.
It would be advantageous to reduce the number of access ports in the abdominal cavity while maintaining the same instrumentation and maneuverability of the instruments within the body cavity. It would also be advantageous to alternatively provide the same number of access ports but enable use of additional instrumentation within the body cavity.
Further, during laparoscopic procedures, it would be advantageous to investigate the tissue grasped by a grasping instrument to determine desired characteristics of the tissue or to treat the tissue confined within the grasping instrument without requiring access through another port. Additionally, it would be advantageous in certain instances to provide a darkened background area within the body cavity for diagnosis or imaging of the target tissue.